Monday, 15 August 2016

#SaturdayAdventures : #100Kweekend with Mulembe Trekkers - Sipi Falls

Best view for a cup of coffee right?

If you have not enjoyed some of the marvels of Uganda, then
you are NOT living your life. If you are a Ugandan, then let me just pray for God to give you some wisdom, cause in the words of Tamar Braxton, 'You need to get your life!' Well I got my life. KrazyTrekker is allowing anyone to see Uganda for extremely affordable prices through
her tour company Mulembe Trekkers. I finally got the
chance to visit Sipi Falls for 100,000ugx. I was a little bit hesitant at first, but my good friends said I should
go for it. So I did.

Now for 100,000ugx, I didn’t really expect much, just the basics. I
saw the advert on Facebook and called the number provided. I spoke to someone
who called Pyler. I asked him three times to repeat his name,

“Pyler with a P?”

“Yes Pyler with a P”

"Okay"

On Wednesday when I
finally mastered the courage to book the tripwe confirmed 1.45pm as our meeting time. Pyler didn’t show up till
4.00pm. I asked a few questions, he
answered what he could. He promised to send an e-mail as he left.No e-mail came. Not surprised, it’s a 100k trip
after all. Being the hyper anxious person that I am, I had to call on Friday
afternoon to ensure the trip was still taking place.Thankfully it was.

On Saturday morning,I arrived at Nakumatt Oasis 15 minutes early to find no one there, even
though Pyler had insisted they would leave at 7.00am . Why I didn’t I think
about African time? Ummmm….

We left Nakumatt at 8.00am only to drive around town in
circle to collect more ‘trekkers’. The group was a little bit frustrated, we murmured
our complainants as we left Kampala

I sat next to a girl called Christine. She’s from Canada.Christine is not her first name, she has a
Vietnamese name which sadly we all can’t pronounce, and to save us from butchering her God-given name with our accents she calls herself Christine. In her spare time, Christine
and her parents bike around Canada. Coolness. Real Coolness.

Anyways back to the story.....

The group was an interesting mix of Ugandans, foreign
students and expats. Another person I am introducing you to is “I, I, I, Me, Me, Me”. That’s the name I have given him. “I, I, I, Me, Me, Me.” immediately dominated all discussions from the get goto establish himself as the ‘experienced’
expat in Uganda.He spent the long
journey singing local songs and shouting random sentences in luganda to everyone’s
amusement. It was very hard not to pay attention to him in the small cramped
taxi. I was slightly offended. Then I
remembered I had left to study abroad when I was quite young too, I wonder how obnoxious
I sounded all those years ago. I hope I have been forgiven...

For your entertainment, here are some of “I,
I, I, Me, Me, Me” famous quotes about Uganda from the trip:

“You see these people they are just doing nothing. These
people don’t do anything except wait for us. I mean that’s how it seems."

“You’ve had diarrhea since you got here[Uganda] bro!”

“Wow ...so while you guys were living in caves we were busy inventing cars…I mean that shows you a clear divide right?”

“Can you open the window? If you are not going to open the
window go and sit somewhere else!”

We arrived in Mbale at 1.00pm, and took a rest at Mbale Resort Hotel. I could feel myself getting
dizzy from hunger, so I marched myself up to the hotel restaurant and tucked in to their buffet. I didn’t even ask the price and until I was done eating. I didn’t really care because I'd saved a lot just by coming. Remember It’s 100k trip! The food was good, hot
tasty, fresh and not fried. A welcome meal after a long journey. Then I sat by the
pool and caught up on my favorite blogs while waiting for the next bit of the journey.

We arrived in Kapchorwa around 7.00pm, Just in time for the gorgeous sunset, the views of the mountain were just …just…. here look at
this wonderfulness…

Yap...this was the transport.

I won't say much about the accommodation. I think if you are an outdoor's person and you love Backpackers , then you'll love it. Pyler chose to inform only a few of the guests
that there was no shower, bathroom or readily available hot water. Moreover he
chose to warn the boys and not the girls. It’s a 100k trip after all. We had a rolex (chapati and egg wrap) by the bonfire and went to bed. I survived the night. It's very cold, please carry multiple sweaters, warm pyjamas and two pairs of socks if you are planning on going.

Now for Sunday..... what can I say about Sunday, except that it
was amazing!See the pictures for
yourself…

Our tour guide

About two hundred years ago, according to the tour guide, some of the Sebei tribe moved into these caves with their King.

The journey to the second waterfall

I nearly fell in....

The waterfalls are not just a tourist location, local people use the water for their daily tasks

The trip made the ladies warrior women.

Apparently young men from the Sebei trip are circumcised in this cave

We used the same pathways as the villagers, so a pair of comfortable boots or trainers really makes a difference. It's a long trek, with three beautiful waterfalls to see. There is even a opportunity to get wet standing under one of them. However make sure you have a water proof bag for all your gadgets. Also, be prepared to spend atleast three hours walking.

A nice place to catch our breath while the rest of the group went abseiling